Women First

 What is the relationship between women and Torah?  This is one issue that I have heard people express concern about more than any other.  Let’s go to the beginning and see what the Torah tells us about this.

 

Before Hashem gave the Torah to the Jewish people at Sinai, He told Moshe to speak to the people and prepare them.  As the verse in this week’s Parsha says (Shemot 19:3): “Moses ascended to G-d, and the L-rd called to him from the mountain, saying, ‘So shall you say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel…’”  This is not just a poetic repetition.  Our Sages taught that “the house of Jacob” refers to the women, and "the sons of Israel refers to the men.

 

In other words, Hashem told Moshe to speak to the women first about receiving the Torah and then to the men.  One explanation for this is because it is the women who perpetuate Torah and Judaism.  The women are considered the pillars of our community.  It was in the merit of the faith of the women, the Talmud says, that the Jews left Egypt, and it is the women who keep our faith going throughout the generations.

 

This also explains why women are exempt from many of the Mitzvot that men are obligated to keep.  Their role of perpetuating the faith and observance of our people is greater than the time-bound Mitzvot.  Also, women have been endowed with a deeper spiritual connection than men, and therefore need fewer external reminders.

 

It is providential that this Parsha coincides with the Annual Convention of Chabad Shluchot (emissary women).  These women are the leaders of Jewry around the world, and they are gathering in Brooklyn to discuss matters at the top of the Jewish agenda, to set goals for the coming year, and to gain inspiration from one another in their vital and very challenging work.  These women are among the most powerful leaders in the world, and it is they who are the life-force of the Chabad outreach organization.

 

Today, Thursday, is also the Yartzeit of a great Jewish woman.  The Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, the Rebbe's wife, was exceedingly humble and shunned the limelight.  It was only after her death that the stories started to be told.  The thousands of people she touched and inspired, the quiet strength of her personality, and her saintliness and holiness.  People who knew her say that her blessings were as effective (some say even more effective) as the Rebbe’s.

 

In the famous trial against a person who questioned the movement’s legitimacy and the community ownership of the famous Schneerson library, claiming they were his private property, it was the Rebbetzin’s testimony that tipped the scales and brought the victory for the Rebbe and the Jewish world.  (You can see more about the Rebbetzin, her greatness and character, and observances of this day here).  She was an inspiration to a generation of women and girls, as are her followers, the Shluchot.  You will be able to see the live broadcast of the Convention banquet on Sunday at 2 pm pacific time at kinus.com.

 

Our Sages taught that just as the Jews were liberated from Egypt in the merit of the righteous women, so it will be in the liberation from our current exile.  We need it more than ever, may we merit the true and complete redemption immediately.